It is known to use ball joints for various automobile applications, including the wheel suspensions for automobiles. As an example, it is known to provide ball joints for linkage members adapted to connect one member, such as a strut arm or control arm, to a second member, such as a stabilizer bar. These known ball joints typically include a ball defining a ball stud, and a socket into which seats the ball. The socket will secure and hold the ball and ball stud in position yet permit rotational and pivotable movement of the ball and ball stud. The socket is generally formed in or mounted to a housing opening or similar structure. In addition, the known ball joints also include boots or sealing bellows to seal the ball joint, which is typically filled with a lubrication, such as joint grease, to protect the joint from contamination from the outside environment, e.g., water, salt, dirt, grit, etc. Retaining rings, bands, or clips are also used to secure the boots or sealing bellows over the ball joint and to assist in retaining the ball within the socket.
The known ball joints, however, have several drawbacks. For example, the boots or bellows used with the ball joints are generally made of rubber or a thermoplastic material, such as urethane, and consequently are a relatively expensive component in terms of the overall cost of the entire ball joint assembly. Another problem with known boots or bellows is the susceptibility of the boots or bellows to be punctured or otherwise damaged during handling or use, thereby limiting their ability to protect the joint from contamination from the surrounding environment. Yet another problem with known boots or bellows is that they can come into direct contact with the stud of the ball joint so as to be subject to wear from the steel degradation of the stud caused by the environment. Still another problem with known boots or bellows is that they can get caught or pinched with mating components of the ball stud during operation. Moreover, retaining rings, bands, or clips are needed to secure the known boots and bellows over the ball joints, thereby increasing the complexity and cost of the ball joint assembly. In addition to these drawbacks, other drawbacks and problems exist with respect to existing ball joints that are overcome by the present invention.